I’d been young, and we’d been friends. Partners. Close enough that I looked the other way too often, ignoring his mean streak and bad decisions. I liked the money too. I was determined to crawl out of the poverty we’d grown up in. He was always the brains, and me… One look at me would scare most of his enemies into submission. Sometimes my fists extinguished all doubt. I’d been loyal to a fault.
Shame flows through me. My life before coming to the States was one horrific black mark that I’d never be able to erase. I could build a better life for myself and Adriana here, but I couldn’t bring my parents back. I’d give anything if I could. For a few bleak moments, I move through the grief that’s hung like a dark cloud over me since their death. I can see the sadness in Adriana’s eyes. The weight of the guilt that’s only mine to bear. None of it was her fault.
I drop the card and pinch the bridge of my nose until it hurts. Anger is so much more potent when it’s laced with regret. I’ve lived with it for so long and tried like hell to bury the person it made me. If I think I can ignore Lennox and pretend we’re safe—that Addi is safe—then I’m signing up for a lifetime of sorrow. I can’t risk him getting to her. I can’t lose her. Natasha’s threat wasn’t an empty one. No one knows better than me what that bastard brother of hers is capable of.
I pick up my phone and swipe my thumb over the screen. I have to end this. End him. In this moment, I’m certain I’m the only one who can.
The shipyard by the harbor is dark. Quiet of activity save the waves crashing against the sea wall and the occasional groan from a moored ship. If I were anyone else, I’d be worried about meeting here. But I’m confident that if Lennox only wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t have sent me such a bold invitation first. Truth is I don’t think he really wants me dead at all. At least not the way I’ve wanted him dead.
I hear the clip of footsteps ahead of me. The shadows of several bodies break off from the darkness, and I can soon recognize Lennox’s signature swagger among the other men flanking him. He always carried himself in an exaggerated way, like he had something to prove. He’s dressed in a gray suit. His hair is slicked back. Light glints off his large watch.
“Nicoloff. Old friend. I was beginning to wonder if you’d ignore me forever.” He smirks and lifts his chin to meet my stony stare. “You look good. Hell, I’d say we almost make a pair.”
He might be right. We’ve come a long way from the streets we grew up on. Still… “We’re nothing alike.”
“I don’t know. I’m still in the game, but we’re both moving up, aren’t we?”
“What do you want, Lennox?” Enough with the bullshit. Last thing I want to do is intrigue him with my business affairs. I already know he’s a perverted fuck.
He exhales through his nose, eyeing me quietly. “We used to be a good team, you know?”
My instinct to beat the life out of him is almost blinding. I force myself to stay focused. To be smarter than the brute he’d once bent to his will so successfully.
“You raped my sister and killed my parents when they went to the police about it.”
“Listen, you know how things go. Sometimes there are bumps in the road. Things are smooth now. They’re about to get smoother.” He rubs his fingers together with a sly grin. “And greener.”
I work my jaw and force the fantasy of smashing him into the pavement out of my brain. “Good for you. Do your business and get the fuck out of my neighborhood.”
“I need your help before I can do that. I heard you’ve got a nice little underground operation going. Some decent cash flow too.”
“My business is legitimate. Discreet, but everything is on the books.” I’d given up breaking the rules a long time ago.
“See, that’s why this is perfect. I need to do some housecleaning. I have some important purchases to make here in DC, but I need the money cleaned in your little sex house first.”
I laugh, both at his description and the offer.
“A few thousand dollars here and there getting charged to the club is nothing. You need a bigger front than I can offer you.”
“Then you’re going to have to take some risks. Won’t be without rewards, though.”
“I’ve got white-collar membership requests a mile long. Senators, ambassadors, you name it. A waiting list for months. Anyone gets a whiff of scandal, and it’s all over.”
He nods and stares down at his shoes. I can see they’re shined to perfection even in the moonlight. “I saw Adriana the other day. God…” He smiles broadly. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
The rush of murderous thoughts starts flooding me again. I have to stay in control… “You would know,” I say, my voice dangerously low.
“She was special. Still is. I wanted her for a long time, but you never knew it. It was our friendship that always held me back. I still regret everything that happened between us. I really do. She was just…” He sighs loudly into the air, the puff visible in the cool air. “We never asked, you and me. We just took. For years, we took whatever the fuck we wanted, and look at us now. We won’t die like our families did. Poor, miserable, stuck in the same place always.”
You’ll die with my hand around your throat, begging for forgiveness that I’ll never give you.
I clench my fists, the thin thread of my self-control too taut for comfort. One wrong move, and one of his men will put a bullet in me. I have to get out of here. Have to get my head straight and figure out a game plan now that I know his.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, even though I never will. “On one condition.”
His eyes brighten, and I hate the satisfaction I’ve just given him.
“Name it.”
“Stay away from Adriana and stay away from the club. If I find out you or anyone get near either, the deal is off the table completely.”
He stares at me in silence. “When do I get my answer?”
“You’ll know when you have it.”
He chuckles. “You’re not making this easy for me.”
“Then find another business partner.”
“What if you don’t give me the answer I want?”
“You know where to find me,” I say. The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. A challenge I’m all too eager to offer.
Only he doesn’t know the deal is impossible. That the challenge is a promise—an inevitable declaration of war.
Chapter Twelve
Katherine
Adriana greets me with her megawatt smile as I enter the small coffee shop.
“Katherine! I’m so glad you could make it!” She gives me a quick hug, and we make our way to the counter, where a cute male barista takes our orders. I pull out my card to pay, but Adriana waves me off, pushing her card into his hand.
“My treat. I invited you, remember?” She winks over her shoulder at me.
I smile and put my card back into my wallet. “Thanks, but next time it’s on me.”
“Deal.”
Once we have our drinks, we decide on a table near a large window. I shiver into my coat, waiting for the chill outside to leave my bones. As I settle into my seat, Adriana studies me with her dark-brown eyes.
“You look exhausted.”
I give her a shy smile and nod. “I was up pretty late the other night.” I raise my latte in the air. “Caffeine is my hero right now.”
“You should have told me. We could have done this coffee date another day.”
“No, I’m glad you called. I wanted to thank you again for what you did for my birthday.”
She waves her hand at me. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I just hate that my brother had to cut our fun short.”
I try to suppress my smile. She has no idea just how much fun her brother and I have had since that night. It’s been a couple of days since we met at the club, but I can’t stop replaying every moment in mind.
“So, tell me. How did things go with Ronan after you left?”
Adriana shifts nervously in her seat
and tucks a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear. “What do you mean?”
Cute. She’s being coy.
Smirking, I take a sip of my drink “I mean the way you were looking at him at the bar the other day. I didn’t think the two of you would make it to the car without tearing each other’s clothes off.”
Adriana’s eyes widen “Was it that obvious?”
Unsure of what to say, I give her a hesitant nod. “Were you trying not to be?”
She lets out a long sigh, playing with the label on her cup. “It’s just a really, really complicated situation. I’m sure you probably don’t want to hear about it.”
“Believe me, I know all about complicated. I’m like the poster child for it. Lay it on me.”
She’s silent for a moment, and I wonder if maybe I’m pushing too hard. After all, we barely know each other, even if it feels like we’ve been friends for ages.
“It’s just that my brother and I have been through a lot together. When our parents were killed, he brought me here with him to the United States to have a fresh start.” She winces as if she’s remembering a painful memory. “Demitri met Ronan not long after we moved to DC. He seemed to trust him enough to become friends, which is not something my brother does with anyone. The first time he introduced me to Ronan…” She closes her eyes briefly. “There was this insane chemistry between the two of us. At first, we both tried to fight it. But the attraction only grew more intense until neither of us could resist it. When we’re alone, everything is perfect. It’s like nothing else in the world matters but us. But when we’re out in public or around my brother, Ronan acts like we’re just friends. And that’s so hard because…” She drops her gaze to her lap. “Because I’m in love with him.”
Her confession hits me hard because I can relate. Even before my incredible night with Demitri launched my heart and my body into euphoric bliss, deeper feelings had already taken root. Undeniably, I’m in love with Demitri. I have been for a long time. Now I’m scared to death that he might not be able to return those feelings…ever. After what Adriana’s just shared about their parents’ death, I have no idea what kind of demons might come between us having a real relationship.
I reach out and touch her hand. “I’m so sorry about your parents.”
“Thank you.”
“Have you told Ronan how you feel?”
She shakes her head. “No, but it doesn’t matter how I feel. Ronan is my brother’s best friend. He’s never going to risk jeopardizing their friendship over me.” She’s quiet a moment. “I’m seeing him tonight. Every time I try to be smart about this, I just fall back into being with him. I’m probably nothing to him but a dirty little secret.”
“Are you sure? Because that’s not at all how it looked to me. I really think you should tell him. You can’t let your brother stand in the way of your happiness, Adriana.”
“Ha! That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know my brother.”
My hand nervously slips from hers to my cup, and its contents spill onto the table.
“Shit!” I shoot up out of my chair and frantically begin blotting the table with napkins. From the corner of my eye, I see the cute male barista rushing over to our table to help.
“I’m so sorry.”
My apology earns a warm boyish smile. “Don’t worry. I got it. How about I get you another one…on the house?”
“No, I think I’ve finally reached my limit of caffeine, but thank you,” I joke, trying to mask my embarrassment.
When he leaves, Adriana leans in and diverts her gaze from me to the barista. “He’s totally into you.”
“Not my type.”
“Okay, then tell me. What is your type?”
Tall. Blond. Icy-blue eyes… Your brother.
As if I’ve just sent out a psychic message, my phone chimes with a text from Demitri.
Are you sore?
I feel my cheeks heat. I bite my lip and type my reply.
Yes, Master. I can’t wait
for our next lesson.
When I glance up from my phone, Adriana is smirking.
“That must have been some text. Your face is flushed.”
I touch my cheek with my hand and smile.
“So?” She wiggles her brows. “Tell me about him.”
I shrug. “There isn’t much to say, really. It’s nothing serious.”
Even though I desperately want it to be. Even though it never can be because of what he does and who my family is.
I try not to let the reality of my situation change my mood on the outside. Thankfully Derrick wasn’t on shift when I got home the morning after Demitri and I spent the night together, but I’m still waiting to catch hell from my father about it. Once he remembers I exist.
“How long have you been seeing each other?” Adriana pushes.
Long enough to fall in love with him. “On and off for about a year. We’ve kept things really casual, though.”
She raises her brow. “A year? That sounds serious to me. Do you have feelings for him?”
Yes.
I shift in my seat, noting the unmistakable soreness from Demitri’s merciless fucking. I bite my lip and clench my thighs together as those memories wash over me.
“He and I don’t exactly have the typical kind of relationship, if you know what I mean?”
“Oh, I see. So, it’s just physical between you two?”
“Basically,” I lie. “This way it’s easier to walk away when you’re ready to move on.”
Just saying the words sends spikes of pain through my chest. How am I supposed to walk away from Demitri now that I’ve given him so much of myself? How will I survive when he wants to move on?
Adriana’s thoughtful sigh breaks up my panicked thoughts. “Believe me, I know all about that. It’s easy enough at the beginning. It’s just sex until you can’t get them out of your head. Then it turns into more. You fall in love with them, and there’s always the danger of getting hurt.”
She’s not buying the “no strings” way I’m painting this relationship, so I give up on it too. Who am I kidding? I’m falling hard and fast for Demitri. The more I admit it to myself, the scarier all this seems.
“I guess all we can do is hope it’s worth risking the heartbreak.”
She smiles. “If you really love someone, it’s always worth risking the heartbreak.”
She looks wistfully out the window, and I know Ronan is consuming her thoughts. Just the way Demitri consumes mine. Everything about him. The way he fucked me like nothing could keep him from taking what was truly his. The tender look in his eyes when we should have been satisfied but he couldn’t stop touching me. The little whispers uttered in a tongue I didn’t recognize but felt somewhere in my soul. If only I could repeat them and make Adriana tell me what he said…
But that would feel like a violation. He’ll show me his heart when he wants to, if he ever does.
Suddenly Adriana’s face falls. Her skin grows too pale.
“Is everything okay?”
She jerks her stare to the table. “It… It can’t be him,” she says, her breath hitching. “It’s not possible.”
“Adriana, you’re scaring me. Talk to me.”
She reaches into her purse, her hands shaking badly. “I need Ronan.” But she’s trembling too hard to hit the right buttons.
I take the phone from her quickly and open her contacts to make the call. I hold her hand as I push Call.
“Hey, sexy,” Ronan answers.
“Ronan, it’s Katherine.” I try to remain calm for Adriana, but Ronan immediately picks up on the fear in my voice.
Adriana is frantically searching the street now, like she just saw a ghost.
“Katherine? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Adriana. I think she saw something…or someone.”
“Fuck. Where are you?”
“We’re at the coffee shop across from her apartment.”
“Whatever you do, don’t let her leave. P
ut her on the phone.”
I immediately comply and turn the phone toward her.
I feel helpless as she tries to calm her breathing.
“R-Ronan. I. Can’t.”
Ronan’s words are loud enough to make out across the small space. “Yes, you can. Just focus on my voice, baby. Relax your chest and slowly blow out your breath. I’m on my way to you. I’m close. Just stay put, okay?”
Several minutes pass that way. Her breathing through the panic and his reassurances. I follow her gaze to the street, as if maybe I can spot the phantom terror that’s sent her into an emotional tailspin. But all I can see are pedestrians passing by. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Moments later, Ronan bursts through the door of the café and rushes toward us. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here.” He’s out of breath but pulls her into a tight embrace.
“I saw him,” she whispers. “I know it was him. But it can’t be, right?”
He pulls back, cups her face in his hands, and places a soft kiss to her forehead. The tender act only solidifies what I’d already known to be true. He’s in love with her too.
“Let me take care of it. I promise, it’s going to be okay.”
She rears back, fresh tears in her eyes. “Ronan, what aren’t you telling me?”
He glances to me briefly, then back to her.
Before I can excuse myself to leave them alone, Adriana begins speaking rapidly in Czech. When he replies back to her, I’m shocked to find that he also speaks the language fluently.
Even though I can’t understand a word they are saying, it still feels awkward to listen in on their conversation. When her tears start to flow heavier, I stand to leave. She’s falling apart in Ronan’s arms, and I have no idea why.
All I know is I’m powerless to help my friend.
Chapter Thirteen
Demitri
Misadventures with a Master Page 6